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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Dear Readers,
Lisa Harris is a dear friend, and I love reading her books. I’m actually
reading Vendetta right now. It’s hard
to put down when I have to do something else. Before Lisa and her family went
on the mission field in Africa, they were here
for her husband to go to school. So I was privileged to mentor her before she
became published.

Welcome
back. Lisa. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be
something else?

While it
took me a long time to actually start writing, it was definitely something I
always wanted to do. I was in my late twenties, though, when I finally decided
to write my first book.

How long
does it take you to write a book from start to finish?

I can
comfortably write about 20k a month, so it depends on the size of the book, but
typically 3-4 months plus a couple months of editing.

How do you
come up with themes for your stories?

I think
for most books the themes have evolved while I’m writing. I typically have a
setting, plot, and characters to begin with, then the theme comes to life more
organically.

Do you have
a schedule of when you write?

I have a
word count I need to finish every day. My days are usually filled with a lot of
other things I have to do, so there is never a specific schedule I follow.
(Though that would be nice!)

How are you
able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?

Breaking
it all down into small bites! I know what I need to get done everyday, and I
really try to stay focused enough to do it. Life does often get in the way, so
I also try to add a bit of padding to my schedule for when things happen that I
can’t ignore.

What
elements do you think make a great story line?

Characters
the reader can relate to and sympathize with along with a plot that will throw
them into some kind of conflict that has the reader rooting for them even when
it seems like everything is lost.

Oh, yes.
You do that very well. What was the hardest thing about writing a book?

There
really are so many distractions that pull, so finding that balance can be hard.
And then there is also the drive to make the next book better than the last
book and really wanting to please readers!

How many
books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?

I’m not
sure exactly how many, but somewhere around thirty. As for a favorite ... each
book represents a time in my life and a story from my heart, so it’s so hard to
choose!

Do you have
a favorite character?

I’m going
to pick Nikki Boyd since I’m writing her story right now. While book one is the
story coming out right now, I’m actually writing book three and I love this
series. It’s different from series I’ve written in the past and I’m really
enjoying the journey.

Tell us about the story.

Book one
in the Nikki Boyd Files is set in the stunning SmokyMountains.
No one needs to push Nikki Boyd to excel on the Tennessee Missing Person Task
Force. The case of her own missing sister, still unsolved after ten years, is
the driving force in her work. When a Polaroid photo of a missing girl shows up
at a crime scene, Nikki quickly recognizes similarities to the past. The closer
she gets to the abductor, the more she feels that this case is getting
personal, and that she is not the hunter at all—but actually the one being
hunted.

The
initial step off the sheer face of a three hundred-plus foot drop was always
the most terrifying. Nikki Boyd leaned back into her harness as far as she
could, locked her knees, then peered over the edge of the sandstone cliff that
plunged into the ravine below. The terror faded, followed by a shot of pure
adrenalin as she kicked off and lunged over the edge.

Legs
horizontal to the rock face, Nikki shimmied down the side of the cliff, kicking
loose a few rocks along the way. The stress of the past few weeks began to
dissipate into the crisp morning air. A day climbing and repelling with Tyler had definitely been
the right thing to do. They’d come, not to dismiss memories of Katie’s death,
but to make new ones. Which was exactly what they were doing.

Halfway
down, Nikki slowed to a stop. The rope had shifted and now ran over a sharp
edge of the cliff wall. She caught her toes against a narrow ledge and fought
to catch her balance. While perhaps not common, it was possible to severe a
weighted rope on a decent.

“You
okay?” Tyler
hollered down at her.

“The rope
moved and it’s running over a sharp edge.”

She’d been
told by more than one experienced climber that they hated rappelling because it
was the most dangerous part of the day. And this was why. No matter how much
training and preparation, no matter how many times she checked her equipment,
things could still go wrong. And all it took was one mistake. But all she
needed to do was unweight the rope and move it to a safer place.

“Can you
move it?” Tyler
asked.

“I’m
trying.”

“You’re going
to have to take some of your weight off the rope.”

“Like I
said, I’m trying.”

Her gloved
fingers held onto a crack in the rock face while she searched for another crack
for her feet. Her fingers cramped. A trail of blood dripped her arm. She didn’t
even remember scraping it. Her feet finally found a narrow crevice, alleviating
her weight on the rope enough to give it some slack. All she needed to do now
was redirect the rope’s path.

Simple.

But she
couldn’t get enough leverage to unweight the rope.

“Nikki?”

“Just a
minute. . .” Sweat beaded across her forehead as she stood on her tiptoes, her
fingertips pressed back into the crack, heart pounding against her chest.

She’d heard
plenty of stories about things like this happening. Freak accidents against the
side of a sheer cliff. Climbers plunging to their deaths.

Thanks, Lena!!!
Praying for your recovery.Thank you, Lisa. Prayers from you and so many others have carried me through this recovery faster than the last time. I sometimes forget that I'm not completely healed and do too much.And thank you for sharing this new book with us. I'm going to be looking for the next Nikki Boyd novel.Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Vendetta - Christianbook.com,Vendetta: A Novel (The Nikki Boyd Files) - AmazonVendetta (The Nikki Boyd Files Book #1): A Novel - Kindle

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Lisa Harris' books are always gripping and interesting. Vendetta sounds exciting from the first page. All of Lisa's books I have read and reviewed have been given to Alamance Christian School library which is a pleasure to do. I'd love this one, too.

Vera in middle North Carolina - and I do love our mountains shared with Tennessee.

Thrilled to hear from some of you who have read my books and the new readers as well. I love the romance suspense combination well, and this was such an interesting setting for me. What a beautiful place!

I realized how much I missed the mountains after writing this book. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. I live near the beach now, and love that, but those of you who live near the mountains are blessed. :-)

Lisa, you are a new to me author & just from the first page of your book, I know I will enjoy your writing!! I just recently seen this book around and would love the chance to win a copy for myself. Thank you for the opportunity!

I live in on the Oregon coast, and though I'm not right on the mountains, they are close enough to drive to! I love seeing either Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainer in WA on the horizon (when I travel up that way to my sis-in-laws!). I think we have the best of both worlds here, in my humble opinion....lol! I greatly enjoyed your author interview, thanks for taking time to share!

Hello Lena and hello to Lisa. Lisa this story sounds really good but some nerve-wracking times also. I would love to win it. Thanks lena for having Lisa here and to you both for the chance to win. Maxie (TX) > mac262(at)me(dot)com <